The Tribune

By D’Arcy Rahming

“I want to tell you something that will transform your business. But I do not like to give my ideas out because too many people steal them.” Another variation of this them is when doing a consulting assignment, and an executive will say: “We have already thought of that.” My retort is often: “Okay then, here’s a way you can put this idea to the test.”

I’m in the middle of reading Steve Jobs’ autobiography, and it is a doozy. His life illustrates how ideas are transformed into reality and, in turn, transform businesses. Steve Jobs was obviously a visionary. I mean, no denying it, he literally changed the world.

But he was also quite a jerk, with poor personality skills and terrible management acumen. Yet, on the other hand, he had authority. He could make decisions and people were willing to put up with his shenanigans because the work was exciting and he paid very well. Steve Jobs was able make his ideas come to life leveraging the talents of many.

I have been on consulting assignments where I lacked authority, and as a result could not perform well. So I learned early on how not to promise results, because they are never guaranteed, and if you are not in control every step of the way, anyone can derail what you have put in place. What I do promise is a very well thought out process that enables a client to test his or her ideas.

The fact is that ideas without authority and implementation are meaningless. If you have thought of something, chances are someone, maybe even the person you are sharing with, has already thought of it. However, people will never pay for ideas alone. And ideas alone will not propel your marketing forward. In order for ideas to become vision or mission, and have results, you also need implementation.

In my experience, the most crucial element of implementation is the ability to line up the agendas of everyone in the process to create success. This implementation is clearly seen in the Steve Jobs story. And we see it clearly in almost every successful marketing venture. I have seen the best plans sabotaged by front line staff who are “just doing their job”, but in reality are bringing their personal problems into your process.

• NB: D’Arcy Rahming holds a Masters of Management from Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. A lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, Mr Rahming has clients in general insurance, retail, the health and medical fields, sports federations and financial services. To receive his marketing newsletter FREE go to http://DArcyRahming.com or contact him directly at darcyrahmingsr@gmail.com